Steczkowska sang a song by the Republic of Opole. Team member: Swimming in a septic tank leaves an unpleasant odor

strongly denies that her performance of the song “My Blood” was supposed to be a political manifesto or an attack on the current authorities. In a statement released after the performance at the 60th National Festival of Polish Song, she pointed out that the bloody inscription “Think for yourself” on a white shirt was just an element of her artistic vision.

A musician of the Republic of Steczkowska’s performance: Personally, I was hurt

Justyna Steczkowska recorded two of her albums with Grzegorz Ciechowski, the leader of Republika. She states in her statement that she had great respect for him and liked him as a person. He also explains that the inscription on the shirt was a reference to the lyrics of his song, which is about manipulation. “I choose independent thinking in my life. You are the masters of my media life, so instead of pouring out hectoliters of hate, hatred and anger, take the remote control and turn off the TV,” wrote the singer, who acts as a trainer in the TVP program “The Voice” of Poland”.

This year’s festival in Opole was not the first concert organized by TVP where Steczkowska sang “My Blood”. In 2021, the singer in a similar styling presented it during the Easter event “Pasja 2021”. Her performance from this year’s festival is nowhere to be found on the public television channel on YouTube. There were only recordings with songs sung by Roxie Węgiel, Natasza Urbañska, Doda, Rafał Brzozowski, Tula and Halina Mlynkowa, Felivers and Marina Łuczenko.

Steczkowska’s performance touched Leszek Biolik, a member of the Republika band, who, after long hesitation, decided to comment on the matter in a Facebook post. He noted that the song “My Blood” is sacred to people associated with the work of his group: “We play it only in certain justified circumstances and personally I would never perform it other than in the company of my colleagues on a special occasion. Meanwhile, this song appears at the festival TVP”. He emphasized:

Personally, it hurt me.

He admits that he does not know what Steczkowska’s intentions were, but in his opinion, “Justyna should know better.” She also emphasizes that her use of the song was “indecent” and adds that the band Republika “for no money would agree to honor and perform at the festival in the current situation.” At the very end of the entry, she shares her private opinion: “No matter how good crawling is, swimming in a septic tank always leaves an unpleasant smell on the body. Let’s stay decent.”